India, having won the T20I Series against New Zealand will now take on the Kiwis in an ODI series. Shikhar Dhawan is leading the Men in Blue as Rohit Sharma rests after the T20 World Cup campaign. In the many options that the selection committee explored for the captaincy position in 2022, Dhawan remained a staple in ODIs. Dhawan led the charge of India in 3 ODI series in 2022. However, KL Rahul replaced Dhawan as the skipper abruptly in the recent series against Zimbabwe. KL Rahul, being out of action for quite a long returned to the game in the Zimbabwe series, meanwhile replacing Dhawan as the captain.
How the Abrupt Captaincy Change in Zimbabwe Affected Dhawan?
Shikhar Dhawan, now in Auckland for the first India vs New Zealand ODI interacted with the media ahead of the match. And in the same interaction, Dhawan explained if he was hurt by KL Rahul suddenly appearing as the skipper in the Zimbabwe series. “You have asked a good question. I consider myself fortunate that I am getting an opportunity to lead the side at this stage of my career. I feel good about it and it is a challenge. We have won good series with a young side,” Dhawan said.
Talking specifically about KL Rahul, Dhawan noted that he is aware of Rahul being the main vice-captain of the side. “If I talk about the Zimbabwe tour, KL Rahul is the vice-captain of our main team, when he came back, I was mindful of the fact that he had to go to Asia Cup. If Rohit had gotten injured during Asia Cup, then KL might have been asked to lead. So it was better that he had the practice during the Zimbabwe tour,” Dhawan said.
Answering the main query of whether he was hurt by the abrupt transition, Dhawan answered in a negative. “I was not hurt. I feel that whatever happens, happens for the best. And I was then selected as the captain for the South Africa series, the selectors and the team management gave me that opportunity. I never feel bad.”
Also Read: India vs New Zealand ODI Series: Full Schedule, Venues, Squads, and Where to Watch?
Shikhar Dhawan On India’s Squad For The 2024 ODI World Cup
Moving ahead in the interaction, the press questioned Dhawan’s views on the upcoming ODI World Cup. Dhawan expressed his views on how things will shape up in the marquee event with KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Dhawan himself being in contention for the same batting position. “We guys have been performing well for a period of time. At the same time, talking about myself, I have to keep performing. I know till the time I perform, it would be good for me. It keeps me on my toes and keeps me hungry,” Dhawan explained.
Moreover, the flamboyant left-handed batter, known for his lively social-media presence explained how he doesn’t pay any heed to the trolling that comes off of being on the platform. “On social media, there is trolling. We are used to it now, smart people know how to go about using social media. They know if they don’t perform, what kind of chatter will take place on social media. It totally depends on our performance. When you know it, there is no need of looking into it. That’s how I deal with it,” Shikhar Dhawan noted.
